Teachers' Perceptions of the Manifestation of Horizontal Bullying in the K-12 Setting
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View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by D-Scholarship@Pitt TEACHERS’ PERCEPTIONS OF THE MANIFESTATION OF HORIZONTAL WORKPLACE BULLYING IN THE K-12 SETTING by Sarah J. Shaw Bachelor of Science, Pennsylvania State University, 2004 Master of Education, University of Pittsburgh, 2008 Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the School of Education in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education University of Pittsburgh 2017 UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH SCHOOL OF EDUCATION This dissertation was presented by Sarah J. Shaw It was defended on May 22, 2017 and approved by Dr. Charlene Trovato, Associate Professor, Administrative and Policy Studies Dr. Constance DeMore Savine, Instructor, Administrative and Policy Studies Dissertation Advisor: Dr. Mary Margaret Kerr, Professor, Administrative and Policy Studies ii Copyright © by Sarah Shaw 2017 iii TEACHERS’ PERCEPTIONS OF THE MANIFESTATION OF HORIZONTAL WORKPLACE BULLYING IN THE K-12 SETTING Sarah Shaw, Ed.D. University of Pittsburgh, 2017 Horizontal workplace bullying is defined as hostile, aggressive, and harmful behavior between co-workers who are positioned on the same level of the organization’s hierarchical ladder (e.g., teacher-to-teacher) via attitudes, actions, words, and/or behaviors (Hutchinson, Vickers, Jackson, & Wilkes, 2006; Thobaben, 2007). The National Educational Association reported that 31.7% of school faculty and staff stated that they have been bullied by a colleague (Bradshaw & Figiel, 2012). This study examined teachers’ perceptions of the manifestation of horizontal workplace bullying in the K-12 setting through a constructivist framework. Study participants included six teachers who were currently teaching in the K-12 setting. Five of these teachers self-identified as victims of horizontal workplace bullying. One of the teachers self-identified as a witness of horizontal workplace bullying. The teachers completed a 30-45 minute, in-person interview. Interviews included 20 open-ended questions detailing the descriptions of perceptions, reactions, coping, and effects of horizontal workplace bullying in the K-12 setting. Line-by-line qualitative coding for known constructs in the workplace bullying literature (e.g., behavior, coping, reactions, effects) guided the analysis. iv A review of the findings uncovered common perceptions of the manifestation of horizontal workplace bullying, common behaviors, reactions, emotions, coping strategies, and effects of horizontal workplace bullying on teachers. The findings revealed that teacher victims perceive professional jealousy and voluntarily working beyond the contract as antecedents for becoming a target of horizontal workplace bullying. Other findings suggest that teachers cope with horizontal workplace bullying by relying on a support network and by increasing alcohol consumption. The effects of horizontal workplace bullying are psychological, physical, and social in nature, yet teachers often choose to do nothing to combat this heinous behavior. Although there is much literature about workplace bullying, research on horizontal workplace bullying in the K-12 setting is lacking. This study adds to the limited body of literature and includes implications and recommendations for practice and future research. School administrators must continue to research, develop policies, and define the technical problems and adaptive challenges that face teachers and administrators in order to successfully navigate this challenging and detrimental phenomenon (Heifetz & Laurie, 1997). v TABLE OF CONTENTS PREFACE .................................................................................................................................. XII 1.0 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................ 1 1.1 STATEMENT OF RESEARCH PROBLEM ................................................... 3 1.1.1 Workplace bullying defined ............................................................................ 3 1.1.1.1 Horizontal workplace bullying defined ............................................... 4 1.1.1.2 Harassment defined .............................................................................. 5 1.2 PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY ............................................................................. 6 1.3 RESEARCH QUESTIONS EXPLORED.......................................................... 7 2.0 REVIEW OF LITERATURE ..................................................................................... 9 2.1.1 Workplace bullying behaviors ...................................................................... 10 2.1.2 Effects of workplace bullying on victims and the organization ................. 14 2.1.3 Coping and workplace bullying.................................................................... 17 2.1.4 Theorized causes of workplace bullying ...................................................... 19 2.1.4.1 Interpersonal and intrapersonal theory ............................................ 19 2.1.4.2 Organizational theory ......................................................................... 20 2.1.4.3 Oppressed group theory ..................................................................... 21 2.1.4.4 Workgroup manipulation theory ...................................................... 22 2.2 CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH ..... 25 vi 3.0 METHODOLOGY ..................................................................................................... 27 3.1 INQUIRY STRATEGIES AND FRAMEWORK........................................... 28 3.2 RESEARCH QUESTIONS ............................................................................... 32 3.3 RESEARCH PROTOCOL ............................................................................... 32 3.3.1 Participants .................................................................................................... 32 3.3.2 Recruitment .................................................................................................... 34 3.3.3 Interview protocol.......................................................................................... 34 3.4 DATA ANALYSIS ............................................................................................. 37 3.4.1 Verification of codebook ............................................................................... 39 3.4.2 Coding procedures ......................................................................................... 40 4.0 FINDINGS .................................................................................................................. 41 4.1 DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY OF INTERVIEW RESPONSES .................... 41 4.1.1 Demographic data.......................................................................................... 41 4.1.2 What are the teachers’ perceptions surrounding the manifestation of horizontal workplace bullying? ................................................................................ 42 4.1.2.1 Behaviors.............................................................................................. 42 4.1.2.2 Describing the bully ............................................................................ 46 4.1.2.3 Why were the participants the targets of horizontal bullying? ...... 46 4.1.3 How do teachers react when confronted by a teacher bully? .................... 50 4.1.3.1 Emotion ................................................................................................ 52 4.2 HOW DO TEACHERS COPE WITH HORIZONTAL WORKPLACE BULLYING? ....................................................................................................................... 54 vii 4.2.1 What, if any, are the implications of horizontal workplace bullying on the teachers’ professional growth? ................................................................................. 55 4.2.1.1 Personal implications of horizontal workplace bullying ................. 56 4.2.1.2 Organizational effects ......................................................................... 57 5.0 DISCUSSION ............................................................................................................. 58 5.1 HOW DOES HORIZONTAL WORKPLACE BULLYING MANIFEST IN THE K-12 SETTING? ....................................................................................................... 59 5.1.1 Behaviors – “He would throw my drums in the garbage” ......................... 59 5.1.2 Describing the bully – “The devil works down the hall from me” ............ 60 5.1.3 Causes of horizontal workplace bullying – “She was a better teacher and they knew it” ............................................................................................................... 61 5.2 REACTIONS – “I DON’T CONFRONT ANYBODY. I JUST KIND OF KEEP TO MYSELF” ......................................................................................................... 62 5.2.1 Emotion – “It’s been a rollercoaster of emotions” ..................................... 63 5.2.2 Coping – “Bitching and booze, lots of booze” ............................................. 64 5.3 EFFECTS ON PERSONAL GROWTH – “I HAVE THICK SKIN NOW” 65 5.3.1 Personal effects – “It caused sleepless nights” ............................................ 65 5.3.2 Organizational effects – “I will consider getting away from them because I just can’t stand it anymore” .....................................................................................